Destination Nevada County

Pleasant Valley Road passes by the gated
community of Lake Wildwood, situated
along the shores of a manmade lake under
which the remnants of a 19th century
stagecoach stop rests. In 1970, when a
dam was being built to create the lake, the
old stage stop—with its hotel, livery stable
and other buildings in disrepair—was
burned as a training exercise by the
local fire department.
Just south of Penn Valley was a
community known as Indian
Springs. And it was there that a
young writer named Bret Harte
taught school for a year and
later wrote “M’liss”—changing
Indian Springs to Smith’s Pocket,
but accurately describing the school,
church, post office and other buildings he
had known while teaching school there.
For more than 160 years, Penn Valley has
been the agricultural and livestock center
of Nevada County and celebrates that
heritage each May with the Penn Valley
Rodeo. It is also the location of Western
Gateway Park—an 80-acre recreational
facility featuring a stage and pavilion,
basketball courts, bocce ball courts,
playgrounds, meeting rooms and much
more. The park is definitely a recreational
and entertainment gem.
Best of all, Penn Valley has the ideal
climate: above the valley fog and
below the snow line—a healthy
place to live, work and raise
a family. Fortunately, many
of the family-owned ranches
and farms that dominated the
landscape in the 19th century
continue to prosper, and a sense
of community can be found that is
often lacking in more populated areas.
For more information about Penn Valley,
events and visitor information, contact
the Penn Valley Chamber of Commerce,
17422 Penn Valley Dr., Penn Valley, CA
95946, (530) 432-1802.
116 DESTINATION Nevada County